The 2022 Filipino general election occurred on May 9th, 2022. The general election includes both executive and legislative branches of government in the Philippines. This event was crucial for not only myself but Filipinos all around the world. As the daughter of Filipino immigrants, my parents have been watching every Filipino news outlet for the past two weeks to see who will become the 17th President of the Philippines. The current president, Rodrigo Duterte, is ineligible to run for a second term ( one term in the Philippines is six years ), however; Leni Robredo, the current vice president, is eligible to run for another term but chose the presidential route instead.
Although the informal presidential election results are out, this post is a quick rundown of the four presidents.
Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is a member of the PFP ( Partido Federalista ng Pilipinas, the federalist party of the Philippines ) and is also a Filipino senator. He is the son of a previous president, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. His father was very controversial because there were many cases of corruption and kleptocracy that the Marcos family were accused of during their 20-year reign in the Philippines. Although the negative past of his parents’ reign exists, Bongbong is the projected president of the Philippines as he has the majority of the votes. He is running alongside the current president’s daughter, and the mayor of Davao city, Sara Duterte.
Leni Robredo
The current vice president of the Philippines, Leni Robredo, and she is running independently. Before entering politics after the death of her husband, Jesse Robredo, she was a human rights lawyer and an economist. She is at the forefront of the “pink revolution”, where all her supporters wear pink in support of her campaign. She is against the current president’s “war on drugs” which influenced the deaths of many Filipinos. She is Bongbong Marcos’ main opponent in the election. She is running alongside Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan.
Isko Moreno
Isko Moreno, the mayor of Manila and a member of Aksyon Demokratiko ( Democratic Action ). Isko Moreno was an actor before entering politics in 1998. He ran as a city councillor and held his spot for three consecutive terms. In 2007, he ran for the position of Vice Mayor of Manila, which he held for another three items. He was elected Mayor of Manila in 2019, winning a landslide victory against previous president, Joseph Estrada, and Alfredo Lim, the previous mayor of Manila. HIs website contains his platform ( which is all in Tagalog ). His running mate is Willie Ong.
Manny Pacquiao
Famous Boxer and Senator of the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao is running for presidential candidacy in the Philippines. Affiliated with PDP Laban, Pacquiao has been a senator since 2016. His main initiative is to start a massive housing program, that could potentially stimulate the economy due to thousands of jobs being created in the construction industry in the Philippines. Manny Pacquiao is running alongside Lito Atienza.
Although I am pretty late to writing about the election, and the vast majority of the votes have been counted ( Bongbong Marcos is the projected winner of this election ), I feel that it is important to note that this event is still evolving everyday, and what I’ve written isn’t the full extent of this political event.
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